


infected //

by akumatised (emeraldine)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, adrien is the most caring in the world ever, cataclysm au??, i lov, is this really self indulgent??, probably yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 14:26:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10595886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emeraldine/pseuds/akumatised
Summary: "It’s getting harder and harder to hide.It had started off barely noticeable, little more than a freckle-sized spot on her waist, too high for anyone to be able to see it when she was clothed. But it had darkened within only a few hours, and she couldn’t be sure at the time but it had seemed to grow a little even then.Little did she know, that one dot would evolve into a constellation of black spots, which would soon spread out over her ribcage and hip like a smattering of paint. And with each passing day, as the markings grow, so too does the pain. And at this point, four days since the incident, hiding it, whilst virtually impossible, is the least of her worries.She can barely stay standing."When Ladybug suffers the effects of an accidental Cataclysm, she's not sure if she can really do anything about it. She doesn't know where to find Chat Noir or if he can even help her, Tikki seems unable to reverse the damage and life is just moving too fast for her to stop to take care of herself. But when help comes in the form of a certain green eyed blonde who won't take "I'm fine" for an answer, things begin to get a lot more complicated.





	

**Author's Note:**

> \- BASED ON [A SUPER COOL PIECE BY THEBIRDFROMTHEMOON-ART](https://thebirdfromthemoon-art.tumblr.com/post/158158750222/infection-au-bad-ending-previous-one) THAT I'VE LINKED RIGHT HERE WOOOO -
> 
> as soon I saw this art I just knew I had to write about it, so creds for the art that sparked the idea go to her!!

It’s getting harder and harder to hide.

It had started off barely noticeable, little more than a freckle-sized spot on her waist, too high for anyone to be able to see it when she was clothed. But it had darkened within only a few hours, and she couldn’t be sure at the time but it had seemed to grow a little even then.

Little did she know, that one dot would evolve into a constellation of black spots, which would soon spread out over her ribcage and hip like a smattering of paint. And with each passing day, as the markings grow, so too does the pain. And at this point, four days since the incident, hiding it, whilst virtually impossible, is the least of her worries.

She can barely stay standing.

“Ms Bustier, may I go to the bathroom? I’m.. not feeling too good”, she manages to ask in class, raising her arm despite the strain it puts on her side.

“Is everything alright? Perhaps you’d be better off going to the nurse’s office”, Ms Bustier suggests. She looks worried, though, not as worried as Alya, Nino and Adrien, who have all witnessed her poorly concealed pain the past few days. But regardless, the school nurse definitely can’t help her, and absolutely can’t know.

 _Ugh._ She may have to resort to.. embarrassing tactics.

“No, no, nothing so serious”, she hurries to respond. “Just, uh..” God, she can feel the blush rising already. “I think it may be.. thattimeofthemonth.”

She buries her head at snickers from the other side of the classroom, face on fire.

“Oh, pardon me”, Miss Bustier replies, cringing. “Go on then, Marinette.”

She gets up and leaves the room as quickly as the pain permits, and heads straight for the nearest bathroom. Before making it there, though, a pang so sharp it sends her staggering hits her, and she doubles over, gritting her teeth to suppress a cry. A glance at the wall she’s almost fallen into tells her she’s fortunately close to a supply closet, so she takes that option instead, dragging herself over in her still-hunched state, using the wall to support herself. _Please be unlocked, please be unlocked, please be unlocked._

It’s unlocked.

She could almost shout for joy, if that weren’t a painful and really stupid move. She all but collapses into the closet, sitting on the less than pristine floor without a second thought and resting her head carefully against a pyramid of toilet paper rolls. Tikki flies out of her purse the second she opens it, fluttering anxiously over to Marinette’s hip. Marinette lifts her shirt carefully and with trepidation, and she and Tikki suck in a gasp simultaneously.

It’s far worse than before. It now extends out over the entire left half of her torso, and the feeling looking at it has been giving her has increased tenfold. It almost doesn’t make sense for it to make her feel so tense and awful, as if she were looking at an open wound, because there’s nothing open or bloody or grazed about it. It looks more like a bruise than anything else, which, considering its colour, is kind of understandably scary. But the feeling surpasses mere hurt and discomfort. Something about it fills her with dread, every time she looks at it. Like it carries all of Chat Noir’s powers of death and decay with it.

She’d be lying if she said she’d never wondered what Cataclysm would feel like if used on a living thing.

Not that she ever wanted to _be_ said living thing.

But, she’s here now, and there’s no erasing the past.

“Marinette, I’m so sorry!” Tikki cries, eyes filling with tears as the looks despondently at her charge’s blackened and bruised stomach. “I wish I could help you more!”

“Tikki, don’t be ridiculous! You have nothing to be sorry for! And this has hurt you just as much as it’s hurt me - we can’t even transform without you being hurt! If anyone should be apologising, it should be me!”

“Now you’re being ridiculous”, Tikki argues. “You had no way of predicting what would happen before it did. And besides, I’m supposed to be an all-powerful god of creation - if I can’t fix this then what am I good for??”

“Oh, don’t say that Tikki! You said so yourself that this has never happened before. Maybe there’s a way to fix it that you’re just not aware of yet!” Marinette reasons.

Tikki manages a small smile up at her chosen. “I thought I was meant to be the encouraging one in this pair”, she says, laughing a little.

“I think the tables are allowed to turn every once in a while, don’t you?” Marinette responds. “Now, I should probably man up and head back to class, it’s probably..” She checks her phone and gasps. “Class is about to finish! I’ve got to get out of here before the halls fill up with people wanting to know why I’m hiding out in a supply closet. Come on, Tikki!”

“But, don’t you think you should stay in here; wait out the rush? You’re still hurt!”

“I wish I could, but it’s lunchtime. I don’t know how long the rush is going to last. It’d be smarter to get out now. Come on.” She hurries as best she can out of the closet, checking her surroundings before straightening up and walking calmly toward the lockers, which, thankfully, are in the opposite direction of her classroom. She makes her way over to her locker, managing to open it and use her mirror to get a better look at the injury before the first students begin to trickle out of their classes.

She’s not accounting for _him_ to leave class early, though.

“Marinette! Is everythi- holy shit. What the hell happened to you??”

_Oh._

_Oh no._

Marinette pulls her shirt down hurriedly, but it’s too late. He’s seen it. “Oh, that? That’s nothing!”

She knows her high-pitched, breathy dismissal isn’t helping her case at all.

“That’s not nothing. Let me see!” He rushes over, concern written all over his face, and for a moment she finds herself thinking about how much she’d enjoy all this attention from him if things weren’t so bleak and there was any conceivable way she could actually confide in him. But the fact of the matter is, things are awful and she can’t tell him, so for the first time since that fateful day in the rain, his presence is not something she wants.

“Please don’t worry about me, Adrien. I’m fine, honestly.”

He gives her a flat stare in response. Of course he doesn’t believe her.

“Please let me help you, Marinette. That looks far too serious to just sweep under the rug! It looks like- like…”

_Please don’t be thinking it, please don’t be thinking it, please -_

“It looks like Chat Noir’s Cataclysm.”

_Dammit._

Now that it’s been spoken, the dam breaks. Marinette’s tears fall freely, now uninhibited by the self control with which she’d been fiercely reining them in, and all he does is hold her.

“Come on”, he whispers soothingly. She vaguely registers him using the arm that’s not wrapped around her to gather both their things and shut her locker door, her head buried in his chest as all the pent up emotion from the past four days pours out. He walks them away to somewhere private, all the while stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort to her.

(Once again, it occurs to her that in any other scenario, she’d be ecstatic at the thought of being in such close proximity to her crush of two years while he comforted her so sweetly, but that thought disappears as quickly as it comes. She’s too much of a mess to get sappy right now.)

“Okay, Marinette, we need to go upstairs now", he says gently. "Can you do that, or would you like me to carry you?”

(Okay, so maybe those thoughts don’t _entirely_ leave her head.)

 _Sniff_ \- “No, that’s ok-” - _sniff_ \- “-I think I can walk up a flight of stairs without dying”, she quips, in an attempt at dry humour.

_Considering all the sniffling I’ve just been doing all over his shirt, I’m probably neither dry nor funny right now._

“Okay”, he says; “if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. I’ll be fine.”

She makes it about five steps before a flare of pain has her sinking, clutching the railing for dear life. It’s not a fall but it’s clearly worrisome enough for him.

“I’m carrying you”, he says immediately, taking her hand to help bring her upright.

“I’m fine, really! You-” he silences her by pressing a finger to her lips.

_Why do I feel a sense of deja vu?_

“Please, Marinette. Let me help you.”

He’s looking at her with such concern and care and _Lord help me, if this Cataclysm doesn’t kill me surely Adrien’s sweetness will_.

He picks her up with little effort at all, carrying her bridal style up two flights of stairs before they reach the rooftop, where he kicks the door open, looking every bit like the hero in every damsel in distress plot. Normally, that’s the kind of trope that would bother her, but she _so_ doesn’t have the heart to care about stereotypes right now.

“I figured this was the least likely place for people to go at lunchtime”, he explains, putting her down gently. “Now can you please tell me what’s going on? Nino, Alya and I have all been so worried about you the past few days! Alya’s probably having a meltdown right now and you literally look like you’ve been hit with Cataclysm! So what happened?”

_You have to twist things a little bit, he absolutely cannot know the full story. Do whatever you have to to keep that part from him. He **cannot** become a target by learning your identity._

_That's not an option._

“Okay, you know that akuma attack that happened four days ago? They managed to trap the akuma in a warehouse, which they thought had been fully evacuated. And it had.. almost. ( _Translation: I was there fighting the akuma as Ladybug, but you can’t know that._ ) I got trapped in a corner behind some fallen concrete and rubble from the balcony. ( _That’s passable, right? There was a balcony! And it did get hit by a blast! That’s plausible! .. I hope._ ) So, when everyone else was gone it would’ve been stupid of me to make my presence known; that’d only put me in more danger! So I hid. Partway through the attack, when it seemed close to an end, I, like an idiot, tried to escape on my own, instead of waiting for the whole thing to be over. Chat Noir activated his Cataclysm and flung his arm out, preparing to use it on something, but.. Well, apparently he can shoot our his Cataclysm now. It hit me in the side, he realised, they ended the fight as quickly as possible and when Ladybug used her Miraculous Cure the pain seemed to go away. I didn’t find out until later that.. Wait, are you crying?”

He’s totally crying. Like, full on crying. She hadn’t been expecting him to feel quite so bad about it, but he’s _distraught_.

“I’m sorry! I’m so, so, so sorry, Marinette!!”

He latches onto her, sobbing into her shoulder as she’d done into his chest only a few minutes earlier, and she’s kind of confused as hell by it. Regardless, she responds to his desperate embrace, wrapping her arms around his torso as his clutch her shoulders.

“It’s okay, Adrien. You have nothing to be sorry for. It’s okay.”

“But it isn’t!” he cries, pulling away and shaking his head madly. “It’s not okay, and it never will be okay! I honestly wouldn’t blame you if you never forgave me! But I’m going to help you. We’re going to fix this, together. Just please, if- if you hate me when you find out, please just let me help you, and then we can go our separate ways once you’re all better. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try to help. Please.”

“Adrien, I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

He stares pleadingly at her, looking more broken than she’s ever seen him, before hanging his head and speaking words she never thought she’d hear him say.

“Plagg… Claws out.”

He transforms before her, the neon green light that washes over him seeming forlorn even despite its shockingly vibrant hue, and his eyes don’t meet hers until Chat Noir stands in front of her.

_Oh. My. Gosh._

_Well this just got a hell of a lot more complicated._

 

* * *

 

 

_Oh this is bad. Oh this is so bad. This is really, really bad!_

He’s leaping from rooftop to rooftop with Marinette in tow, carrying her bridal style (oh, the irony). He’s barely looked at her since revealing his superhero identity to her, either, and although he’s kept his eyes away because of fear, the part of him that wants to catch her gaze, wants to know what she’s thinking and wants to know if he can make things right is driven by fear, too.

He’s scared to death of their partnership being ruined, but he’s more scared of the idea that it could get worse if he doesn’t try to save it.

Because she’s not just Marinette anymore (although, Marinette has _never_ been ‘just Marinette’, really); she’s now also the most important person to have ever blessed his life, and maybe this is all a little dramatic for a seventeen year old to be thinking, but he’s fairly sure his life would be meaningless if it weren’t for her. So when they reach Master Fu’s shop and he puts her down, he speaks, despite his terror.

“So, you’ve probably figured out that I’ve figured out that y-… uh, that you, being Marinette, couldn’t have been hit by that akuma because I was there and I didn’t see Marinette.. But, if you don’t want to say the words, if you don’t want to acknowledge it yet or have that whole big conversation, I totally understand. I know it’s all my fault that we’re where we are now, and that this reveal had to happen like this, because I know it’s not what either of us wanted, so if you never want to speak to me ever again, well honestly, I wouldn’t blame you for that either. But regardless of the way you’re feeling about all that, I’m here to help you. I’ll stay, for the entire time you’re here; I’ll do whatever you ask of me, I can do cover stories and keep your friends and family from worrying - whatever you need, consider it done.”

Marinette looks up at him, her expression somewhat unreadable. He can see sadness, and unease, but it doesn’t look like the face of someone who never wants to see him again…

That’s good, right?

“You’re right”, she says after a moment’s pause. “Im not quite ready to talk about it yet. But..” As she trails off, the tiniest hint of a smile graces her face, and she wraps her arms around him in a soft, brief hug. “I could never hate you”, she says quietly into his chest. “And I appreciate your offer to help me. Thank you.”

She breaks away from the hug and turns to face the door, taking a deep breath as she does. “Alright”, she says. “Hopefully Master Fu can help us.”

 

* * *

 

 

They never openly address the whole identity thing. Fu, seeming to sense that it’s not something they’ve actually hashed out yet, never calls her Ladybug, instead, choosing careful words of reference or calling her by her civilian name. She knows it doesn’t actually matter, because Chat - _Adrien_ \- knows already, but still. She thoroughly appreciates it, regardless. Tikki, too, is aware and respectful of the tension, and phases through Marinette’s bag to offer comfort by her side, but never makes herself known so explicitly that it has to be talked about. Marinette’s grateful for that, too.

But mostly, she’s grateful for _him_. In all their years of partnership, she’d never imagined, never hoped it could be him, but now that she knows, and now that he’s here, and he’s being so, so wonderful, well..

She realises so suddenly that, really, there’s no one more perfect for the role.

(Although, perhaps that’s a little selfish of her.)

But that’s a thought for another time.

Now, she’s supposed to be resting. Master Fu has worked his literal magic - apparently, Tikki, though she _is_ the bringer of creation and life and healing to some extent, is not the one who bears the task of actually restoring life on the kind of level they’re at. She’s never had to heal a person hit by Cataclysm before, because apparently that’s the Guardian’s job. So he uses his salves and his incantations and his remarkably powerful teas, and it’s kind of mind blowing how they can actually watch the spots and splotches begin to fade and recede as the minutes (* ~~hours~~ ) pass. At some point, when her stomach begins to look more like hers, it hits her that Adrien is seeing her exposed stomach - her exposed stomach which, honestly, she’s rather proud of, because what 17 year old girl has abs like these? - but still, her exposed stomach that really only serves to confirm what everyone in the room already knows but hasn’t said.

(Despite all that though, despite everything, a small part of her can’t help but hope that the sight of her toned torso is as impressive to him as it is to her.)

“-nette? Marine-ette? You there?”

“Huh?”

 _Whoops_.

“I was asking how you were feeling?”

_Oh._

He’s looking at her with concern, and a lot of remorse, but also just the slightest hint of fond amusement. It reminds her that, despite everything, in at least one iteration of their various dynamics, they’re best friends. This doesn’t have to change that. In fact, it could, maybe, be what saves them.

“I’m feeling.. really good, actually.” She doesn’t even have to will the smile onto her face. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” He smiles back, visible relief seeping into his expression, and oh Lord, it hits her for the billionth time in that moment that _he is honestly so kind it’s incredible ????_

(She’s feeling a little affronted by all these rushes of affection she’s been experiencing, honestly. Perhaps it’s time for a moment alone.)

“Actually, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d really love a cup of tea if it’s not too much trouble?” She asks. He brightens, getting up immediately, and dammit if the sight of him being so happy to do something for her didn’t just cause her stomach to flutter _yet again_.

“Of course! I did say ‘whatever you need’, didn’t I? Now, what would you like? Black? Something herbal? Green tea? Take your pick.”

“I like pretty much everything in Fu’s collection”, she replies, before remembering with a start that they’re not supposed to be acknowledging the fact that she’s even been in this massage parlour before. His eyebrow quirks just a touch, as if to ask - _are we going to acknowledge this?_ \- but the shift in expression is gone as quickly as it comes, replaced by a very Chat grin, which, she’s surprised to note, does not look out of place on Adrien Agreste’s face.

(Rather, it looks a lot like everything she could ever want for him.)

“Well then”, he says, opening the door to the next room, “I’ll surprise you.”

 _I don’t doubt that_ , she thinks, a fond smile sneaking onto her face without her consent. _You’ve been doing that a lot lately._

Now that she’s alone, she can think. Take a moment to ponder the all-important question: what does this actually mean for the dynamic duo?

On the one hand, Adrien had been thoroughly correct before - she absolutely did not want their reveal to happen this way. And _she’s_ over the whole Cataclysm thing; she’d known from the moment it happened that it was an accident, and hadn’t been mad about it for even a second. But she also knows that both Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste have a tendency to berate themselves for every little thing they do wrong, and to almost detrimental proportions.

She’d never met anyone before them who could torture themselves for their own shortcomings more than she could, but she’s seen both of them do so on more than one occasion since meeting them.

(Which is absolutely the most heartbreaking part about the two of them being the same person.)

But on the other hand, being someone who gets it, and being someone who gets him, more than anyone else in the world does, who gets the struggle of being a superhero and being a teenager, of being under constant pressure to be perfect - she thinks that maybe, this way, she can help him more than she ever could only knowing one side of him.

Before, she’d tried every excuse in the book to delay this inevitable revelation, a part of her genuinely believing that a reveal could do more harm than good, but now that she knows who he is, knows the undeniable good that he is _and_ the sometimes all-consuming sadness he carries, she doesn’t want things to be different at all. She can’t imagine either of them being anyone else; doesn’t want to fathom the idea that anyone else could find each other twice over like they have.

(Or fall for each other twice over, like she **_really_** hopes they have.)

Because she realises then that although the rational, Ladybug side of her would never want to say such a thing so quickly - not without considering every variable - that there’s no way she could know that her oddly charming, quirky, slightly over the top partner and her handsome, soft-spoken, endlessly kind classmate are the same person and not be indescribably happy. How could she possibly come to this moment and feel anything but overwhelming affection for him?

Well, she can’t, really.

He comes back in right as the full weight of her feelings settles on her, teacup in hand and a smile on his face. “I just talked to Master Fu and asked him how long it should be before you’re able to resume life as normal”, he says. “He told me that, assuming you’re feeling a hundred percent by the time it happens, as soon as the marks completely fade, you should be good to go. Isn’t that great?”

“Oh, man, that’s a weight off”, she says, accepting the tea with a smile and trying to ignore the other weight she’s only just acknowledged. “But I gotta be honest, I am not looking forward to the fallout from our spontaneous escapade today. Alya and my parents will have udoubtedly gone mad wondering where I am!”

His grin grows. “Worry not, My L-uh, Marinette! While you were sleeping it off earlier I covered all your damage control. Although I did have to tell Alya and your parents the truth about how exactly you’d ended up with a Cataclysm mark on your hip - but don’t worry. I gave them the civilian version you gave me. They’re very annoyed, of course, that it took you four days to accept help from anyone or admit that something was wrong, especially for something as serious as Cataclysm, and for the record, I am too by the way, but you’re on the other side of it now and feeling a lot better, so all they can do is reprimand you, because the real worry’s over.”

_God, I love you._

“P-Pardon?”

“UH- I, I just said thank you! Um, but I am curious about something. How did you explain knowing someone who could effectively heal a Cataclysm’s effects without telling them your big secret?"

_That was close._

“Oh that”, he laughs. “Well, I said I had a line of communication to Chat Noir and made up something about government officials and high-profile citizens having been given a way to contact both heroes in the event that their safety was threatened - which will absolutely come back to bite me in the ass, but oh well. Then, I said that I contacted Chat, appealed to his guilt over having hurt you in the first place - guilt he is still heavily feeling, mind you - and he took the both of us to someone he thought might be able to help. They’ll all definitely want more info later, but honestly, right now I’m pretty impressed with myself”, he says with a beam.

Her answering grin mirrors his. “You should be.”

She looks away from the blinding gleam of his smile and to her tea for a distraction, taking a sip from the steaming mug.

And is left shocked and stunned.

“Did you know? Did you ask Alya? Did I say something about it in my sleep?”

“What?” he asks.

“Green tea with jasmine is my favourite!”

“Really?” His smile grows. “I honestly guessed! Your perfume smells kind of jasmine-y so I just sort of hoped you liked the taste as well as the smell and oh my gosh I just made it sound like I go around smelling you oh my goooosh I’m sorry I didn’t mea-”

Her laughter stops him short, and he glares playfully at first, but soon a reluctant chuckle spills from his mouth. “It wasn’t  _that_ funny."

“I’m sorry, I just- oh man-” she interrupts herself with a fresh bout of laughter. “You sounded like me trying to talk to you!”

She’s laughing all over again, barely registering the words she’s spoken until she catches his reaction. He looks slightly confused, and more than a little surprised, but what sticks out to her most is:

He’s _blushing_.

“Uh, if-if you don’t mind me asking, why was that, exactly?” He asks hesitantly.

_Oh, shit. Now you’ve done it._

Her face begins to burn and he backpedals immediately. “Y-You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to! You know what- just forget I asked. It’s just, you’re always so confident and popular and brave - every bit like Ladybug - and I know we had that thing with the gum when we first met but I’m pretty sure you’re not the type to hold grudges aaaaand I’m rambling. I’m gonna stop now.”

Her face is still warm, but she has a feeling his blush has surpassed her, which gives her an odd sort of comfort. She giggles. “Tell you what: one day I’ll explain all that, just not today. Okay?”

“I’ll hold you to that”, he says, mouth lifting in a grin.

They lapse into silence as she drinks her tea, mulling over his words. “You think I’m like Ladybug?”

He shoots her a confused frown, as if surprised she’d even ask. “Are you saying you don’t think so? Because if you are I have to tell you right now that that’s utter insanity.”

Marinette smiles. “Thanks. I mean, it’s not so much that I doubt it, but there are some pretty major differences between us. Ladybug’s more like the best version of me I could possibly be- so, still fundamentally me, but better as a whole. You know?”

“I don’t see it that way at all!” he says, shaking his head. “Sure, Marinette’s clumsier than Ladybug, and a little awkward at times, but in every other way you mirror each other. You’re bold - you stand up to people like Chloe when no one else has the courage or heart to; not even me. But you’re also kind enough to stand up to those people _without_ hurting them, or at least, not doing so intentionally. And when you do hurt people, you always make things right. I don’t know a single person other than you so committed to righting all of their wrongs. And you’re popular- don’t even try to deny that one, you’re Class President, for goodness’ sake- but your popularity stems from the way you treat everyone, and the way you’re able to make them feel valued even if you rarely spend time with them outside of class.”

She vaguely registers him crossing the room to where she sits, but is too caught up in his words to make anything of it.

“You’re incredibly strong, and arguably the most diligent person I know. And from what I’ve seen, no one can love like you. No one.”

Their faces are inches apart now, and Marinette can barely breathe. She says her next words without thinking, but as she whispers them into being she realises she’s never said anything so true.

“You can.”

Up close, she can see the precise moment surprise widens his eyes.

“What?”

“You can. You’re probably the most loving person I’ve _ever_ known. And in light of what you’ve been through, no one would blame you for being closed off and distant. But you’re not. Instead, you’re one of the kindest, most selfless people I get to know. You’re..” She exhales. “You’re one of a kind, Chat. -Uh, Adrien.”

His breath of laughter fans across her face. “You can call me whatever you want, Princess.”

Her heart lurches.

His eyes pose a question. Her breath hitches. She finds herself nodding and he inches just a little closer, now almost nose to nose with her.

_Play it cool, play it cool, play it cool, Marinette! You can't mess up your first-_

_Oh, God._

It's here and now that she remembers her first kiss. And who it was with.

“OH MY GOSH!”

She lurches back as if struck by lightning, and Adrien looks shocked and slightly hurt. Which _absolutely_ isn't her intention and _absolutely_ has to be fixed, but - oh man.

“What is it?”

“Sorry! I just- oh man. There was something I totally forgot about until now - something that makes you being Chat the funniest, craziest coincidence in the history of coincidences. Oh my-”

She collapses into a fit of giggles, but at Adrien's expression - which is somehow even more bewildered and worried than before - she forces herself to get serious.

“Sorry. For freaking you the hell out and for my terrible timing, but I figure you'll want to know this, and I feel like you should before we.. Anyway. Do you remember when Kim was akumatised on Valentine's Day, in our first year?” “Yeah… I mean, sort of. I was kinda.. out of it, for a while there.”

“Yeah, about that.. Did your kwami ever tell you how you were snapped out of it?”

Adrien scoffs. “I wish! Not for lack of trying, though. Plagg’s just… Usually not interested in being helpful.”

“I resent that!” Plagg shouts, flying over and making an appearance for the first time.

“You mean you resemble that”, Adrien chuckles. “Where have you been, anyway?”

“Rude. I've been catching up with Tikki! But we stayed relatively out of sight until it was well and truly out in the open and you guys were actually talking about your identities. See, I can be plenty helpful!”

“I never said you _couldn't_! Just that you usually don't _want_ to be.”

Adrien turns back to Marinette. “Is Tikki your kwami?”

She nods as Tikki flies over, and they quickly make introductions.

“But anyway”, Tikki interjects almost immediately after, mischief in her eyes, “what were you saying, Marinette?”

Marinette blushes instantly. “Oh, yeah. That. Oh gosh..”

“What is it?” Adrien asks. “Well.. you see, um, you had me pinned underneath you - don’t even ask - and you were about to use Cataclysm on me-”

“WHAT?”

She laughs again. “I know; ironic, right?”

“I was thinking something more along the lines of “what the hell was I thinking?”, but true, that’s a seriously weird case of irony.”

“Well, you were under an akuma’s influence, and his weapon was literally hatred, so..” she shrugs. “Can’t really blame yourself. Besides, I sorted it out.”

“Oh yeah…” He grins. “Apparently this part is a story for the ages. How did you sort it out, exactly?”

“Well… I kissed you.”

His mouth falls open. “Why did you tell me that??? My first kiss happened without my knowledge and I didn’t even get to wait until after what I thought would be my first one before finding out?”

She cringes instantly. “Um.. oops? We can not count it, if yo- wait. You haven’t had your first kiss yet?”

“Okay, it’s not that unbelievable! Not everyone has by the age of 17!” He defends, blushing and indignant.

“No! I’m not laughing at you! It’s just- other than that one, neither have I. We were going to be each other’s first kiss! And actually, technically we still were- how weird is that? God, I guess all your stupid lines about us being destined for each other really w-”

He cuts her off with a kiss.

Not that that she should really be shocked- they _were_ just talking about it. But somehow it comes as a surprise, as if the feeling of his fingers softly tracing her jaw trigger the sudden shift into recognition, and she finally, finally registers the fact that **Adrien Agreste wants to kiss her!**. Unfortunately, as a result of the shock, she.. kind of forgets how to move.

It's over in a millisecond, Adrien’s lips pressing softly on hers for only a moment before he draws back in fear.

“Sorry! I hope I didn't misread-”

“Oh my gosh no _I'm_ sorry, I just kind of freaked out? A little?”

“-I just- it kind of seemed like that's where things were going?”

“Well yes, but-”

A pause. A shared laugh.

“Sorry, again”, Marinette says sheepishly. “Apparently my brain hadn’t fully registered the fact that you actually wanted to kiss me which would probably mean you had feelings for me of some kind which would mean all my dreams were coming true and so then you actually kissed me and then it kicked in and I kinda… freaked out?”

And speaking of freaking out..

Marinette looks back at Adrien to find him slack-jawed, wide-eyed and bright red, staring at her as though she’s just said-

“Did you just say that me having feelings for you would be a dream come true?”

_Oh._

“Um… maybe?”

She hides her face in her hands, already feeling her cheeks grow warm. “Okay, I guess I might as well tell you this now anyway- but you have to swear not to laugh!”

Face hidden from his, she misses the way his mouth lifts in what he thinks could be the biggest, brightest, ear-splitting smile he’s ever worn in all his life. “I.. I promise, Princess.”

“Oh my gosh, stop calling me that!” she cries, face on fire. “This is hard enough already! So, basically…… you know how you wanted to know why I couldn’t talk to you at school?”

The smile she’d never gotten to see drops. “Y-You… had a crush on me? -On Adrien?”

“Kind of a huge one”, she mumbles.

As she lifts her head to shyly meet his eyes he schools his expression into something he hopes is neutral. “That.. kind of makes sense. I always wondered why you treated me a little bit differently- just assumed it was because I had a terrifying fashion icon for a father..”

“Wait, you think I’d want to be with you because of your family’s power and influence?” she asks with a frown.

“No no no! Oh my gosh, not at all! I mean, honestly I had no clue you had any sort of interest in me in that way. I guess I thought you were.. intimidated? Not by me, but perhaps… by the prospect of leaving a bad impression on my father, by extension of treating me any certain way? Does that even make sense? I don’t know. You just always seemed cautious around me.”

“Huh. Well, now you know the truth. And for the record, my f-feelings for you had nothing to do with your family or your name or your fame. More in spite of those, in fact. Like I was saying earlier; you’ve known both incredible privilege - in a material sense, at least - and serious sadness. But you were never spoilt because of your wealth, and never cold because of your loss.” Marinette shrugs. “It was admirable.”

Adrien finds himself smiling. “Oh. Well, uh.. Thanks?”

Marinette laughs. “Thanks for liking you?”

“Well, not everyone can say Ladybug has had a crush on them!”

It is then that _he_ misses the sight of _her_ face falling. _Right. Ladybug._

It’s also then that a thought occurs to him. “Oh my gosh.”

“What is it?”

“Just that Ladybug and Adrien both liked each other and never knew it, and they could’ve had a chance with each other if only they’d known.”

Marinette considers this, weighing up her words with trepidation. “I suppose you’re right.. But I can’t help but think, if that happened.. Marinette and Chat probably would’ve found themselves in a weird place where they were jealous of their own alter egos, don’t you think? I mean, yes, they still got to be with the person they liked, but they’d fallen for the “perfect” side of them, not the side they wanted them to like. You know? Now I’m not making sense. I don’t know.”

“Yeah, I get that. Is…” he pauses, searching her face. “Is that why you didn’t want to talk about this yet?”

She looks up at him, surprise taking over her features. “Yeah. How did you know?”

“Well, because that’s where I’ve been at too. As soon as I realised you were.. well, you, I knew instantly that I was pretty much the luckiest guy in all of Paris, but at the same time, I didn’t want to answer the question of how I felt about you with a simple “well, she’s Ladybug, so of course I like her!”; I wanted the time to really reconcile the two of you in my head and give myself an opportunity to fall for Marinette as Marinette _and_ the person you are in between both of your identities. It wouldn’t feel honest if I pursued you before being completely sure that it was right.”

Her answering smile is dazzling. “You’re the best, you know that?”

He pushes past his bashful elation to grin at her. “Nah, that’s you, Bugaboo.”

Her face burns.

“H-Hey, Marinette…” he starts, clearly nervous.

“Yes?”

“I know we’ve just said what we’ve said, but.. I’d still really like to kiss you, if-if that’s okay..”

God, he’s going to be the death of her.

She clears her throat for fear that the words will come out as hoarse and breathy and longing as they really are, but it doesn’t help much. “What are you waiting for then, Chaton?” she all but whispers.

_Damn. That was a lot smoother in my head._

He smiles involuntarily, thumb rubbing her cheek oh so softly as they inch closer to each other. Her heart rate quickens in anticipation, and her gaze, which had somehow found itself at his Adam’s apple, travels up to meet his shyly. And when she sees the unbelievable tenderness in his eyes, her breath hitches and that heart rate skyrockets.

It’s as if the virtually inaudible gasp flips a switch, jolting Adrien into action. He presses his lips to hers gently but with an undeniable passion, eyes fluttering closed as one of her hands rests tentatively in the spot where his neck meets his shoulder. The kiss barely consists of anything more than prolonged contact, neither one of them brave enough or experienced enough to initiate anything beyond holding that first kiss. And yeah, for a second, thoughts of ‘ _oh gosh, I really don’t know what I’m doing **at all**_ ’ take over, but at the same time, there’s this atmosphere about it all; some kind of magic they can’t really explain, seeping into their hearts and minds and body language, despite the measure of awkwardness in their actions. And when they pull away they’re both starry eyed, clearly not disappointed at all.

It’s Marinette who breaks the silence, a breathy laugh escaping her as she gazes up at him through her lashes.

“Wow”, she whispers, joy written all over her face.

“Yeah”, he agrees in an exhale, smiling softly. “Wow.”

“Pardon me.” At that moment Master Fu makes a perfectly timed entrance, clearly unsurprised by the position they’ve found themselves in.

The pair distance themselves immediately, blushing scarlet, but he only chuckles. “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to know how you’re feeling, Ladybug. Typically it takes about this long for a full recovery, but you’d been suffering the effects of your Cataclysm for a few days before seeking healing, so it may take a little longer.”

“Honestly, Master Fu..” she looks at her partner, smile wide. “I’ve never been better.”

**Author's Note:**

> *shrugs*
> 
> I was going to try and write out a little bonus epilogue scene thing but tbh it wasn't working so if you were wondering how it'd go when they actually got together, since it doesn't really happen in this fic:  
> at school one morning a few weeks later the squad are waiting for adrien to arrive and when he does and greets them all, he sidles up to marinette with a whispered "good morning, buginette." to which she responds by getting SUPER flustered and tells him off for calling her that in public because people will start asking questions. cue alya and nino, unsurprisingly, asking questions, and accusing the pair of being in a relationship already and keeping it a secret from them. marinette denies, looks to adrien for help and he sorta goes "well....."  
> thus follows a super adorable speech about how he knows they both wanted to wait until they were sure and he doesn't know how long that period was supposed to have lasted but honestly couldn't possibly be more sure that he wants every part of a relationship with her. "...so, marinette.. will you go out with me?"  
> it's freakin adorable and everyone cries.


End file.
